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Saturday, December 5, 2015

The
Florida manatee is a native species found in all parts of the State.
Protections for Florida manatees were first enacted in 1893. Today,
they are protected by the Florida Manatee Sanctuary Act, Florida
Statutes and are federally protected by both the Marine Mammal
Protection Act and the Endangered Species Act.

Manatees
are herbivores, which means they eat plants. Also known as a "sea cow,"
manatees usually spend up to eight hours a day grazing on seagrasses and
other aquatic plants. A manatee can consume up to 10 percent of its body
weight in aquatic vegetation daily. The manatee uses its muscular lips
to tear plants much like an elephant uses its trunk.

Manatees are mammals. They must surface approximately every five minutes
to breathe, but can hold their breath for as long as twenty minutes when
resting. The manatee's nose is usually the only part of its body that
comes out of the water when it breathes. If they are using a lot of
energy, they may surface to breathe as often as every 30 seconds.
Manatees rest from 2 to 12 hours a day either suspended near the water's
surface or lying on the bottom, usually for several hours at a time.

Monday, November 16, 2015

The
history of the Sebastian Inlet area goes back to the end of the last ice
age. The barrier islands formed from sandbars off the coast of the
mainland. As vegetation took hold on the sandbars, animals moved in,
followed by the first human inhabitants, the Paleo hunters. The
Ais Indians were more recent inhabitants of the
barrier islands. They were a tribe of hunters and gatherers who lived
off the bounty of the land and sea. By 1760, all of the Ais Indians were
gone. Like the other natives of Florida, they succumbed to European
diseases and mistreatment.

Sebastian
Inlet State Park is a Florida State Park located 10 miles south of
Melbourne Beach and 6 miles north of Vero Beach, Florida. The park lies
on both sides of the Sebastian Inlet, which forms the boundary between
Brevard and Indian River counties. The land for the park was acquired by
the state of Florida in 1971. In 2006, it was the sixth most visited
state park in Florida. The park occupies 755 acres on the barrier island
on the Atlantic coast of Brevard
County, at a point where a channel links the Indian River
Intracoastal waterway
with the Atlantic. Part of the Park is south of the Inlet on Orchid
Island in Indian River County.

Monday, November 2, 2015

Florida has six endangered reptile species, eleven threatened
species and seven species of special concern for a total of twenty
four reptiles at risk in Floridian nature. Reptiles have been around for 300 million
years, and during the age of the dinosaurs, they ruled the Earth. Some
6,500 species of reptiles still thrive today. There are more than 8,000
species of reptiles on the planet, and the live on every continent
except Antarctica ."Cold-blooded" is not the best way to describe
reptiles- they get their body heat from external sources. Reptiles
cannot regulate their body temperature internally as humans do. Reptiles
are among the longest-lived species on the planet. For example, large
tortoises such as the Aldabra tortoise can live for more than 150 years.
Alligators can live nearly 70 years. Ball pythons, a popular type of pet
snake, can live up to 40 years

American crocodiles are endangered in Florida. They live in
coastal areas throughout the Caribbean, and occur at the northern end of
their range in south Florida. They live in brackish or saltwater
areas, and can be found in ponds, coves, and creeks in
mangrove swamps. Unlike the
American Alligator, the American Crocodile has a narrow snout, and both
upper and lower teeth are exposed on the crocodile when his mouth is
closed. American crocodiles are more of a grayish green in color, while
alligators are a darker black. Crocodiles can be seen sunning with their
mouths open, or “gaping.” This behavior is related to regulating their
body temperature, and does not mean that the crocodile is acting
aggressively toward people. The American crocodile is so rare and shy of
man that conflict with people rarely occurs.

Another endangered reptile in Florida is the striped mud turtle. Throughout much of its range in
Florida, the striped mud turtle is characterized by yellow head stripes
and three light longitudinal stripes on a dark brown carapace. This
turtle is only 3 to 4 inches in length and has a double-hinged plastron,
similar to the eastern box turtle. The sexes can be distinguished by the
longer, thicker tails of males. The striped mud turtle is different from
most other turtles species in the Southeast in that females nest in the
fall, rather than the spring or summer. Striped mud turtles inhabit calm
freshwater habitats, such as swamps and canals with soft substrates and
are most common in cypress swamps and blackwater creeks.

Monday, October 26, 2015

This week-end was the first time bear hunting was allowed in Florida. We still do not know the exact number of bears killed in the hunt but we do know bears were hunted down at a much faster rate than the officials expected and the bear hunt was cancelled after just two days. Florida black bears have had plenty of problems existing before the bear hunt.

Approximately 25-50% of all cubs die before they turn one year old.
Natural causes of death include drowning, den cave-ins, hypothermia due
to flooded dens, starvation, infections from injuries, and predation (by
other bears). Road kills are considered the leading known cause of
Florida Bear mortality. More than 1,356 bears are documented to have
been killed by vehicles since 1976. Well over 100 bears are killed on
Florida roads each year, with the record number, 132, occurring in
2002. Once fully grown, black bears have no predators besides humans
and other bears. The other causes of mortality are old age, starvation,
poaching (Florida has no legal hunting season), other bears, and
disease.

So far the latest tally claims 295 bears have been killed in Florida, nearing the official limit, Florida wildlife authorities said late Sunday. The
Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission stated it was closing the 2015 hunt, because the numbers were already close to the kill plan of 320 bears.

Monday, October 19, 2015

The largest freshwater marsh is the famous
Everglades in the southeastern
part of the state. Coined the River of Grass by the matriarch of the
Everglades, Marjory Stoneman Douglas, the habitat is now considered on
of the most imperiled in the country. Decades of attempts to drain the
swamp and make it of some use to man has left the system in a
dysfunctional state.

Freshwater marshes are generally wetlands with an open expanse of grasses and other
grass-like plants. Freshwater marshes generally contain few, if any,
trees and shrubs. Marshes have standing water for much of the year and
act as natural filters. As water passes over the marsh, water flow is
slowed down, and suspended particles settle out. Like the state's
freshwater swamps, water levels fluctuate in the marshes. From June
through September daily rains the marshes have standing water. From
October to December of January, when the rainfall amounts are very low,
the standing water gradually flows towards the coast or seeps into the
porous ground. By February and continuing through the end of May, many
marshes are completely dry. This makes them susceptible to fires.

Fresh
Water Marshes are part of the Freshwater Wetlands and Aquatic Ecosystem.
Florida has both the largest freshwater lake and the largest freshwater
spring (Wakulla Springs) in the contiguous United States. This makes
Florida a very rare state with a lot of aquatic diversity, from the
mangroves that prevent erosion to the swamps and marshes that naturally
filter our water. Most of the marshes in Florida occur south of Orlando.
Before the boom years of the early and mid 1900s, Freshwater marsh
habitats flourished along the St. Johns and Kissimmee Rivers and in
scattered spots in central Florida. Many of these sites are now gone or
severely altered, victims of development.

Monday, October 12, 2015

With so many birds flying in the beautiful Florida sky, its sometimes easy to forget that some of our birds are threatened and even endangered. Woods storks are one of those endangered birds. Wood storks are tall, white denizens of freshwater or brackish wetlands
and swamps. They can be identified by their long legs, featherless
heads, and prominent bills. These waders feed on minnows in shallow
water by using their bills to perform a rare and effective fishing
technique. The stork opens its bill and sticks it into the water, then
waits for the touch of an unfortunate fish that wanders too close. When
it feels a fish, the stork can snap its bill shut in as little as 25
milliseconds—an incredibly quick reaction time matched by few other
vertebrates. A large, white, bald-headed wading bird of the southeastern
swamps, the Wood Stork is the only stork breeding in the United States.
Its late winter breeding season is timed to the Florida dry season when
its fish prey become concentrated in shrinking pools.

One of the most beautiful birds in Florida is the Roseate Spoonbill and although not threatened it is a species of special concern. Prior to the 1850s, there were probably thousands of spoonbills along
the Gulf Coast in Texas, Louisiana and Florida. By 1920, plume hunting
and colony disturbance largely depleted the spoonbill population in the
United States.The most distinctive characteristic of the roseate spoonbill is its long
spoon-shaped bill. It has a white head and chest and light pink wings
with a darker pink fringe and very long pink legs. The roseate spoonbill
is about two and a half feet in length with a wingspan of about four
and a half feet. Both males and females have the same plumage and
coloring. The male is slightly larger than the female and its bill is a
little longer. The roseate spoonbill can be found on the coasts of
Texas, Louisiana and southern Florida. It is also found in the tropics
and in Central and South America. The roseate spoonbill lives in
mangrove swamps, tidal ponds, saltwater lagoons and other areas with
brackish water., spending lots of time in the water looking food like
small fish, shrimp, mollusks, snails and insects.

The ivory-billed woodpecker is among the world’s largest woodpeckers but that hasn't protected it from being endangered.
The Ivory-billed Woodpecker is one of several species whose numbers
have dwindled to the point where it is uncertain whether any remain. The
species is listed as critically endangered and possibly extinct by the
International Union for Conservation of Nature. Only the imperial woodpecker of Mexico, now thought by many to be
extinct, was larger than the ivory-bill. Averaging about 20 inches in
length, the ivory billed woodpecker is frequently mistaken for the
smaller but similarly marked pileated woodpecker. Beetle larvae are the
primary food source for ivory-bills, which are often the first
woodpeckers on dying trees searching for these larvae. Ivory-bills are
believed to mate for life. They share the duties of incubating their
china-white eggs and raising their young. Stiff wing feathers make the
ivory-bill an especially loud flyer!

Monday, October 5, 2015

One common fixture in Floridian nature is vultures or buzzards. Although it has an ugly, bare-skinned face, the Turkey Vulture is
beautiful on the wing. Seldom does this graceful and talented bird flap
its wings as it soars over large areas searching for carrion. The Turkey
Vulture uses its sense of smell to locate carrion. The part of its
brain responsible for processing smells is particularly large, compared
to other birds. Its heightened ability to detect odors allows it to find
dead animals below a forest canopy. The Turkey Vulture roost in a large
group, but usually forages alone, unlike its smaller, more social
relative, the Black Vulture. Although one Turkey Vulture can dominate a
single Black Vulture at a carcass, usually such a large number of Black
Vultures appear that they can overwhelm a solitary Turkey Vulture and
take most of the food.

The Turkey Vulture is a large bird. It has a wingspan of 67–72 inches, a
length of 25–32 inches, and weighs between two and six pounds. Turkey
vultures have dark brown to black plumage; a featherless, purplish-red
head and neck; and a short, hooked, ivory-colored beak. The adult turkey
vulture's head is small in proportion to its body and is red in color
with few to no feathers. It also has a relatively short, hooked,
ivory-colored beak. The irises of the eyes are gray-brown; legs and feet
are pink-skinned, although typically stained white. The turkey
vulture's eye has a single incomplete row of eyelashes on the upper lid
and two rows on the lower lid. Its life expectancy in the wild ranges upward of 16 years, with a captive life span of over 20 years being possible.

The more southern of our two common vulture species, the Black Vulture
flaps its wings rather frequently while it soars. It is more social than
the Turkey Vulture, often traveling in large flocks. Like the Turkey
Vulture, the Black Vulture’s numbers are increasing and its range is
expanding northward in response to global climate changes. These
vultures are found in lowland areas along rivers or in open habitats in
the southern United States and throughout Central and South America.
They rarely inhabit dense forests. The Black Vulture has adapted well to
human habitats and can be seen at garbage dumps, markets, and fishing
docks. Vultures eat carrion in the form of road-kills or dead cattle in
pastures. Black vultures are more aggressive and may occasionally kill
or injure lambs, calves, cows giving birth, or other incapacitated
livestock. These birds soar looking for carcasses or other scavenger
activity.

Thursday, October 1, 2015

Mangroves are one of Florida's true natives. They thrive in salty
environments because they are able to obtain fresh water from saltwater.
Some secrete excess salt through their leaves, others block absorption
of salt at their roots. Florida's estimated 469,000 acres of mangrove
forests contribute to the overall health of the state's southern coastal
zone. This ecosystem traps and cycles various organic materials,
chemical elements, and important nutrients. Mangrove roots act not only
as physical traps but provide attachment surfaces for various marine
organisms. Many of these attached organisms filter water through their
bodies and, in turn, trap and cycle nutrients.

Worldwide, more than 50 species of mangroves exist. Of the three species
found in Florida, the red mangrove is probably the most well-known. It
typically grows along the water's edge. The red mangrove is easily
identified by its tangled, reddish roots called "prop roots." These
roots have earned mangroves the title, "walking trees." The mangrove
appears to be standing or walking on the surface of the water. Mangroves
are common as far north as Cedar Key
on the Gulf coast and Cape Canaveral on the Atlantic coast. Black
mangroves can occur farther north in Florida than the other two species.
Frequently, all three species grow intermixed.

Tuesday, September 22, 2015

Ernest Hemingway, a preeminent literary figure of the 20th century moved
to Key West in 1928, living there periodically until 1940. Hemingway
wrote all or part of his most famous works including A Farewell to Arms,
For Whom the Bell Tolls, and The Snows of Kilimanjaro
in Key West. In 1954, Ernest Hemingway became only the fifth American
to receive the Nobel Prize for Literature. He also was awarded a
Pulitzer Prize for his novel The Old Man and the Sea.

Ernest Hemingway, himself a great sportsman, liked to portray soldiers,
hunters, bullfighters - tough, at times primitive people whose courage
and honesty are set against the brutal ways of modern society, and who
in this confrontation lose hope and faith. His straightforward prose,
his spare dialogue, and his predilection for understatement are
particularly effective in his short stories, some of which are collected
in Men Without Women and The Fifth Column and the First Forty-Nine Stories

Death and violence were the two great constants in Hemingway's troubled,
chaotic life. Fifty-one years later, Ernest Hemingway used a gun to
kill himself. He was a tough, strong man with strong principles.
Hemingway "believed that life was a tragedy and knew it could only have
one end", yet he was blessed with talent and drive. That may have made
it harder for him to admit his failures and correct them. Hemingway died
in Idaho in 1961. In 2001, two of his books, The Sun Also Rises and A
Farewell to Arms, would be named to the list of the 100 best
English-language novels of the 20th century by the editorial board of
the American Modern Library.

Friday, September 18, 2015

Paynes Prairie is biologically, geologically, and historically unique.
Payne's Prairie is located south of Gainesville, Florida, in Micanopy.
This park became Florida´s first state preserve in 1971 and is now
designated as a National Natural Landmark.

The water in this huge saucer-like basin has had a way of coming and
going because of a sinkhole in one corner. From time to time the sink
would fill with debris and the water would rise and remain. Years later
the sinkhole would become unplugged, the water would drain away and the
area would revert to savanna. In 1892 a small steamer plying the lake
was stranded when the water suddenly disappeared. Since then the basin
has remained a treeless prairie.

The La Chua Trail, part of the 21,000-acre Paynes Prairie State
Preserve, is at the southeast edge of Gainesville. The trail traverses
an immense patchwork of fields and marshes. The grass and brush along
the first stretch can be very good for sparrows in winter. A short side
trail here leads to a pond, Alachua Sink, where you can see waders and,
during periods of low water, shorebirds.
The trail proceeds into wetter habitats, with a drainage canal on one
side and marshes on the other, until it reaches the shallow weedy open
water of Alachua Lake, the center of the Paynes Prairie basin.

The Bolen Bluff Trail is on the south side of Paynes Prairie State
Preserve. The trail is divided into two parts. There's an upland loop,
about half of which is dry woodland dominated by laurel, live, and water
oaks while the other half is shady mesic hammock forested with swamp
chestnut oaks and magnolias; there are a few small ponds along the
latter stretch. At the far end of the loop, a spur trail, the Bolen
Bluff Dike, descends onto the Prairie basin, running through open brushy
and marshy habitats for three-quarters of a mile (one-way) to an
observation platform.

Wednesday, September 9, 2015

Scorpions vary in size from one to four inches long. These crab-like
animals are dark brown, have a broad flattened body, and ten legs. The
front pair of legs is modified into claw-like pincers which are used to
hold their prey. A scorpion's most noticeable feature is their curled
fleshy tail. It is usually held over their body. The scorpion tail
ends in an enlarged upturned tip that ends in a stinger. The sting is
used for defense as well as for capturing prey.

Scorpion venom is a nerve poison, but the dose injected usually is not
enough to kill adults. While no Florida scorpions are capable of
inflicting a lethal sting, those that have had scorpion stings report
that it is very painful, probably more so than a wasp sting. Scorpions
rarely sting humans except when pinned against the skin, such as under
clothes or when trapped in bed sheets. The site of the sting may be
sore and swollen for some time. An antivenin is available for severe
reactions to scorpion stings.

Scorpions like to hide outside under boards, rubbish, or other areas
that provide shelter and protection. They are a nuisance especially in
recently built homes. These predators are active at night, and do their
share to reduce pests in and around the home. Another interesting
feature about scorpions is that they glow under ultraviolet lights – so
get out the black lights to help track them down.

The Hentz striped scorpion is the most common and smallest of the three
species of scorpions found in Florida. The average size of this scorpion
is 2-2 3/4 inches. This scorpion is found statewide, except the
Florida Keys. The Hentz striped scorpion is dark brown to tan, often
striped with greenish yellow along midline above. Some species have
greenish-yellow parallel stripe on each side of cephalothorax. Hentz
striped scorpions have a slender abdomen that is pale or dark according
to species; they also have a tooth beneath the venom bulb. Hentz Striped
Scorpions live in dark crevices under bark, stones, and litter on the
ground, and on dry abandoned dirt roads. Although no one is ever glad to
see a scorpion in or near the home, the upside to the Hentz striped
scorpion is that they love to eat cockroaches!

Tuesday, September 1, 2015

Blackwater River State Park is a Florida State Park located fifteen miles northeast of Milton. Blackwater River State Park is considered one of the purest sand-bottom
rivers in the world, the Blackwater River is in its natural state
for almost its entire length. Beginning 45 miles upstream in Alabama, it
continues downstream for 13 miles before emptying into Blackwater Bay.
The river's sand bottom, dark tannin waters and contrasting large, white
sandbars have drawn worldwide attention and provide the perfect setting
for this 590- acre park.

Upland pine forests dotted with
persimmon, turkey oak,
sweetgum, flowering dogwood and other shrubs are found in the park.
Open canopy forests combine different types of pine and dense
groundcover such as
gallberry, saw palmetto,
wiregrass, wild blueberry and wax myrtle. Along the river and large
streams in the floodplain area, the forest is dominated by various
species of oaks and hickory, red maple, sycamore, magnolia, holly,
tupelo and azaleas. The water level in the floodplain and swamp lakes
fluctuates and may even become completely dry. Plants vary according to
the water supply. Look for water fern, water lily, coontail,
bladderwort, spatterdock and other emergent plants. White-tailed deer,
bobcats and turkeys are quite common.
River otter may be seen occasionally and the graceful Mississippi kite is often observed soaring overhead in the summer.

Saturday, August 22, 2015

Everyone loves seeing beautiful butterflies fluttering around their Floridian yards and gardens but do you know what flowers attract the most butterflies? Butterflies are attracted by sweet, pungent, and acrid, smelling flowers
that are orange, yellow, pink, purple and red. Plants with deep
throated, drooping or enclosed flowers are unsuitable for
nectar-gathering. Some of these, especially white flowers that are
fragrant at night, may attract moths. You can find a complete list of butterfly attracting plants at Floridian Nature but here are a few of my favorites.

Firebush...the name says it all! This tropical shrub is known for two
attributes. First, the plant shows colors that would make any blaze
proud. And second, it's the only plant that I know which actually
performs better the closer it gets to spontaneous combustion! Firebush
is a showy, fast-growing, semi-woody evergreen shrub that can get up to
15 feet tall under ideal conditions, but usually stays much smaller. It
has whorled leaves, usually with three but occasionally as many as seven
at each node. The firebush hails from South Florida, the West Indies,
and Central and South America. In its native habitat, Firebush is known
more for its herbal properties than for its ornamental value. Throughout
the year, firebush produces showy terminal clusters (cymes) of bright
reddish-orange or scarlet tubular flowers. Firebush is a valuable
addition to butterfly and hummingbird gardens, and in south Florida is often planted in wildlife gardens with other native shrubs such as American beautyberry, coral bean and
wild coffee. Firebush is salt tolerant and will grow in any kind of soil as long as it is well drained.

Common lantana is a rugged evergreen shrub from the tropics. The species
will grow to 6 feet high and may spread to 8 feet in width with some
varieties able to clamber vine-like up supports to greater heights. The
leaves are 2-5 inches long by 1-2 inches wide with rounded tooth edges
and a textured surface. Stems and leaves are covered with rough hairs
and emit an unpleasant aroma when crushed. The small flowers are held in
clusters, called umbels that are typically 1-2 inches across. In the
tropics lantana is a non-stop bloomer. Where it is killed to the ground
by frost the lantana blooms in summer and fall. Flower color ranges from
white to yellow, orange to red, pink to rose in unlimited combinations,
in addition the flowers usually change in color as they age. A lantana
may look orange from a distance but the flowerhead is examined at close
range it consists of individual white, yellow and red flowers that blend
when viewed from afar. Lantana is a favorite species for butterflies
and non-invasive lantanas should be a part of any butterfly garden.

Spanish Needles seems to be a favorite nectar plant for lots of
butterflies in South Florida. This native plant is a summer annual about
2-5 feet tall. The Spanish Needles plant is more or less erect and
branches occasionally. The stems are green or reddish green, angular,
strongly veined, and hairless. The leaves are mostly opposite; their
blades are up to 8 inches long and 4 inches across, while their petioles
are up to 2 inches long. The upper stems terminate in individual
flowerheads on long peduncles. Each flowerhead is about ½ inch long and ¼
inch across. Spanish Needles have numerous disk florets in their
center. The disk florets have corollas that are golden yellow and
tubular in shape. The yellow ray florets are petal-like and are about
1/8 inch long and oval to oblong in shape. Some flowerheads may lack
petal-like extensions of the ray florets altogether. The base of the
flowerhead is surrounded by green bracts. The blooming period occurs
during the late summer or early fall.

Resembling the annual garden petunias, wild petunia, sometimes called Mexican petunias, produces a single
five lobed, trumpet-shaped flower, that is1-2 inches long and wide, and
emerging where each leaf joins the stem. Although it superficially
resembles a garden petunia, which is in the potato family, wild petunia
is a member of the Acanthus family, to which the cultivated “shrimp
plant” and “Black-Eyed-Susan” also belong. The flowers of wild petunia
vary in color from pale lavender to medium bluish-purple. On some
plants the stems and the paired, egg-shaped leaves are hairy. The plant
grows 1-2 feet tall, although a little scraggly. Blooming June through
September, the blossoms last only a day or two, but new flowers form in
succession. The plant self-seeds, and new shoots can be seen throughout
the garden from a single planting. Wild Petunias are easily
transplanted. Germination from seeds is low, but summer stem cuttings
will root well. This plant was named for an early French herbalist Jean
Ruella.

Wednesday, August 12, 2015

Similar in looks to an alligator, the American crocodile is a large reptile found in salt and brackish waters in
southern Florida Unlike the alligator,
which lives in freshwater, Florida's native crocodile is an inhabitant
of salt water shorelines. There are far less crocodiles than alligators
in Floridian nature and most of Florida's crocodile can be found along
the
mangrove bordered southern shores of
Everglades National Park. When Spanish
settlers first saw the Alligator they named it "el lagarto",
meaning "the lizard". The Florida alligator is an ancient reptile that
is only found in the Southeastern United States, from Texas to as far
north as North Carolina. The only other species of alligator in the
world is found in China, but that one is much smaller and very rare.

Many people believe that crocodiles are more
ferocious and dangerous to man than the alligator. This may be true of
the infamous Nile Crocodile and other South American crocodiles, but the
native Florida crocodile is much shyer than the alligator and is quick
to make a hasty retreat at the approach of humans. Once hunted
intensively for their hides, today, loss of habitat to human
development, illegal killing and roadkill are the greatest threats faced
by American Crocodiles.

The Alligator has an armored black, lizard-like body, with muscular
tails and short stocky legs. They are fast predators on both land and
water, able to run as fast as 20 mph for short distances. The massive
jaws of the alligator's open mouth reveals 70-80 white pointed teeth,
designed to grasp, hold and crush its prey! Adults generally take one of
two forms: long and thin or short and stocky. Female alligators rarely
exceed 9 feet in length, but males can grow much larger. The Florida
state record for length is a 14 foot 5/8 inch male, while the state
record for weight is a 1,043 pound (13 feet 10 1/2 inches long) male.
Crocs can swim at as much as 20 miles per hour by
moving their body and tail in a sinuous fashion, but they cannot sustain
this speed. South Florida is the only place in which the crocodile and
the alligator occur together. Although there are reports of crocodile
growing to 23 feet in South America, the record for Florida is a 15 foot
male. American Crocodiles average between 7-15 feet and have an average
weight of 150-450 pounds. A croc has an average lifespan of 60-70
years.

Thursday, August 6, 2015

Grayton Beach, Florida is well known for the incomparable natural beauty
of the Grayton Beach State Park, which spans the Gulf of Mexico and
most of Western Lake. Grayton Beach State Park is a Florida State Park
located between Panama City Beach and Destin, near the unincorporated
area of Grayton Beach, on CR 30A, in northwestern Florida. Its sister
park is Deer Lake State Park. Golden in the morning sun, silvered by
moonlight, Grayton Beach has consistently been ranked among the most
beautiful and pristine beaches in the United States. A suburb, mile-long
beach of brilliant white sand awaits visitors to this interesting park.
The beach provides an idyllic setting for swimming, sunbathing, and
surf fishing. Behind the beach, high barrier dunes stabilized by sea
oats and scrub overlook the clear green and azure waters where dolphins
are often spotted. The appeal to swimmers is obvious!

If you like Floridian nature, you will love Grayton Beach! Grayton Beach
provides an idyllic setting for swimming, sunbathing, and surf fishing.
Behind the beach, high barrier dunes stabilized by sea oats and scrub
overlook the clear green and azure waters where dolphins are often
spotted. For those interested in wildlife there are two trails, the 15
minute Pine Loop, and the 40 minute Barrier Dune Nature trail.

Thursday, July 30, 2015

Everyone in Floridian nature is aware of most of the deadly snakes that inhabit our land and water but many forget about the smallest deadly snake in Florida, the dusky pygmy rattlesnake. The Feisty little dusky pygmy rattler is rarely longer than twenty
inches, and is common throughout the state of Florida. This small
rattler lives in pine-palmetto flatwoods, scrub, and longleaf pine
habitats that are not far from fresh water. The Dusky Pygmy Rattlesnake
is a hot-tempered snake, usually striking repeatedly at the slightest
threat. This pit vipers venom is very potent but the dose it delivers is
small. Although the Pygmy Rattler vibrates its tail when annoyed, the
little rattles are barely audible, sounding more like the faint buzz of
an insect. This is all the more reason to be wary of this snake.
Although its bite is unlikely to cause death, it can be very painful and
can cause infection or tissue destruction.

The Dusky Pygmy rattle is made of of a substance called keratin, similar
to human fingernails. At birth, a rattlesnake has only a single button
at the end of its tail. As the snake grows, another loosely interlocking
segment is added each time it sheds its skin. A healthy rattlesnake
might shed its skin and add another rattle as often as four times a
year, but the snake can also have a few or even all of the segments
break off from time to time, so it is an unreliable marker for guessing
the age of the rattlesnake. The rattles are probably a protective device
to scare away predators.

Friday, July 24, 2015

The nine-banded armadillo, named for the nine breaks in the creature’s
leathery armor that allow it to flex its stiff hide, is an odd-looking
mammal about the size of a cat and ordinarily we do not think of armadillos being more of a problem than a pest who digs up our yard or roadkill laying along every highway in Florida but news this weeks tells us they may actually spread leprosy!

According to CBS news Florida has nine reported cases of leprosy across the state. Normally, the state health department says Florida sees only 10
cases in an entire year. Leprosy, a biblical disease that affects both the skin and nervous system is mostly found in areas like Africa, Brazil and India. Of the estimated two million people who suffered from leprosy world wide only about 294 cases were found in the entire United States last year.

Armadillos like forested or semi-open habitats with loose textured soil
that allows them to dig easily. Armadillos tend to frequent the vicinity
of streams and water holes, although they seem to avoid marshy areas.
Tracks in the mud around small ponds give evidence that the armadillos
visit them not only for purposes of drinking and feeding, but also to
take mud baths.

With July being their mating season, armadillos are going to be very active. The main danger lies in their saliva which is believed how they spread the potentially deadly disease. Armadillos have a tendency to spit at predators as part of their defense system. In 1971, a captive armadillo developed leprosy 17 months after it was inoculated with the bacterium Mycobacterium leprae obtained from an infected human. Subsequently, armadillos have been used in further study of this disease.

Armadillos feed primarily on insects and their larvae. They also eat earthworms,
scorpions, spiders,
snails, and small vertebrates and their eggs. Reports of armadillo
damage to birds' nests on the ground are rare. People cannot help but
appreciate the fact that armadillos consume large amounts of armyworms,
cockroaches, ants, wasps, flies, beetles, and grasshoppers.

Thursday, July 16, 2015

If you are looking for a great place to enjoy Floridian nature, you should check out St. Joseph Peninsula State Park. Its miles of fine natural beach are good for swimming and fishing. With
miles of white sugar sand, this park has one of the top rated beaches in
the United States. Sunbathing, snorkeling, and swimming are popular
activities along the Gulf of Mexico and St. Joseph Bay. Outdoor
enthusiasts can enjoy camping, fishing, hiking, and bicycling. From
offshore, canoeists and kayakers can take in a superb view of the high
dunes and sand pine scrub. The fall is best for catching large redfish, sharks, bluefish, and flounder, while spring is excellent for pompano, whiting, and speckled trout.

Indians once inhabited the peninsula and gathered shellfish for meals
from the bay's shallow waters. Before the area was purchased for
development as a state park, it was used as a U.S. Army training
facility during World War II.

Named for lifelong community leader and settler T.H. Stone, the park is
teeming with wildlife and marine life. Noted as an excellent birding
area with sitings of 209 species currently recorded, it is a premier
location in the eastern United States for observing
hawks during fall migration. Many species can be seen including the endangered peregrine falcon.

The monarch butterfly is also on the wing in autumn, making its long migratory journey from northern states to wintering sites in Mexico. Shore and
wading birds are in abundance throughout the year.

The park offers picnicking, swimming, camping, saltwater fishing,
boating and wilderness hiking in the park's 1,650-acre wilderness
preserve. St. Joseph offers luxury, furnished cabins
located on the bay side of the park. Each cabin is a two-story elevated
building. They have open lofts with two double beds, a sleeper sofa and
daybed. Each has an equipped kitchen, bathroom and living area. Linens
and towels are given at the beginning of the visit. For extended visits,
visitors are encouraged to bring extra towels. There are 119 campsites
with water, electricity, picnic tables and grills.

Wednesday, July 8, 2015

There is something amiss in Floridian nature and so far no one has any answers. Something strange has happened to the birds living on one of the islands off of Cedar key. They have suddenly all disappeared, all 15,000 of them!!! Brown pelicans, various herons and egrets, ibis, roseate spoonbills, cormorants, and countless other types of birds come every year to this small island to lay their eggs and wait for them to hatch. This year the birds came as usual but in just a few day's span all the birds abandond their nests and simply disappeared.

On April 20, the birds disappeared from Seahorse Key, a small island approximately four miles southwest of Cedar Key that has a mandated period where humans are not even allowed to visit the island so that the birds can nest in peace. It's part of the Cedar Keys National Wildlife Refuge, about 21 miles
west northwest of Crystal River, established in 1929 as a sanctuary for
birds devastated by decades of hunting for their colorful plumage.
Accessible only by boat, today it's a rare island not dominated by human
activity and development.

Now,
the island is littered with eggs that had been pecked but not crushed
and a few bird carcasses, and scientists are trying to figure out what
is going on. “It's quite
strange,” said wildlife biologist Vic Doig of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife
Service. “It's eerie. Normally this island has thousands of birds. Now
it's a deserted island.”

This strange abandonment by the birds is a great cause of concern and could have a ripple effect of causing problems for other wildlife on the island. For instance cottonmouth snakes eat bird predators like rodents, and in turn the
birds drop lots of fish and other nutrients from the trees to feed the
snakes.

"Any rookery that's persisted for decades as one of the largest
colonies is incredibly important," said Janell Brush, an avian
researcher with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.
"It's quite a large colony. There had to be some intense event that
would drive all these birds away."

Thursday, July 2, 2015

While shark attacks are setting records off the coast of the Carolinas. Florida waters are also home to a variety of sharks. Although they all seem to get a bad rap, many sharks are not aggressive toward people. The average Bonnethead
shark (also known as the Shovelhead shark) is a small, common hammerhead
shark with a smooth, rounded head.The Bonnethead shark is harmless to
people; it is a timid shark. It is a harmless, timid shark that is
gray-brown above and lighter on the underside with short pectoral fins.
The average Bonnethead shark averages about 3.3 feet long. The
Bonnethead shark has a varied diet. The average Bonnethead shark has
small, sharp teeth in the front of the mouth (for grabbing soft prey)
and flat, broad molars in the back (for crushing hard-shelled prey).
It eats both hard-shelled prey (like crustaceans and mollusks) and soft
prey (like small fish), and has a variety of teeth to eat all these
animals. Bonnetheads are found in the western Atlantic and eastern
Pacific Oceans, in the surf zone, reefs, on sandy bottoms and in
estuaries. Large schools of Bonnethead sharks migrate to warm water in
the winter and cooler water in the summer.

Sometimes called a Brown
Shark because of its brownish color, the Sandbar Shark has a massive set
of teeth that are triangular, serrated and razor sharp. It is one of the
biggest coastal sharks in the world, and is closely related to the dusky
shark, the bignose shark, and the bull shark. Its dorsal fin is
triangular and very high, and weighs as much as 18% of the shark's whole
body. Sandbar sharks usually have heavy-set bodies and rounded snouts
that are shorter than the average shark's snout. Their upper teeth have
broadly uneven cusps with sharp edges. Its second dorsal fin and anal
fin are close to the same height. Sandbar sharks can grow to about 7
feet long. Female sandbar sharks can live as long as 21 years and males
can live to 15 years. The sandbar shark is both a predator and a
scavenger; feeding chiefly near the bottom on fish and shellfish. The
sandbar shark migrates long distances, in the western Atlantic
they range from Massachusetts to Brazil. The sandbar shark, true to its
nickname, is commonly found over muddy or sandy bottoms in shallow
coastal waters such as bays, estuaries, harbors, or the mouths of
rivers, but it also swims in deeper waters.

The scalloped hammerhead
shark belongs to the large hammerhead species, and like all
representatives of this family, has the typically formed "hammer"
consisting of a central dent and an arched front edge (hence the name).
Another typical characteristic is the free end tip of the second dorsal
fin which almost reaches the tail fin. Their coloring is mainly olive,
bronze or light brown with a white belly. The edges of the fins are
usually darker on young animals but becomes lighter as they grow older.
Mature females can reach a length of more than 4 meters, the average
length is, however, less. This hammerhead species feeds mostly on
fish such as sardines, herring and mackerels, occasionally also on
invertebrates such as octopuses. Large scalloped hammerhead sharks also
eat small-sized shark species such as the Atlantic sharpnose shark.
Scalloped hammerhead sharks are found practically around the world in
the coastal regions of tropical, subtropical and moderate climate zones.

The shortfin mako shark is a sleek spindle
shaped shark with a long conical snout. This shark has short pectoral
fins and a crescent shaped caudal (tail) fin. There is a distinct caudal
keel on the caudal base. Its second dorsal fin is much smaller than the
first. The teeth are are slender and slightly curved with no lateral
cusps, and are visible even when the mouth is closed. There is marked
counter shading on this shark: dorsally it is a metallic indigo blue
while ventrally it is white. The shortfin mako can grow to lengths of
3.9 meters (13 feet). There is still some uncertainty about its
life-span, but it is suspected to reach ages of between 11-23 years. As
one of the fastest sharks in the ocean, this powerful shark can attain
burst swimming speeds of up to 22 mph and can leap clear of the water to
heights of up to 20 feet. These qualities have made this species a
sought after sport fish in some parts of its range.
The shortfin mako feeds mainly upon bony fishes including mackerels,
tunas, bonitos and swordfish, but may also eat other sharks, porpoises
and sea turtles. Shortfin mako sharks live in tropical and temperate
offshore waters

Friday, June 26, 2015

Citrus County is scallop country! Each year, seafood lovers bag the bay scallop
found just offshore of Crystal River and Homosassa. People from all
across the country come to the Crystal River area to join in the fun of
harvesting scallops for a delicious meal. Governor Rick Scott is excited for scallop season: "Bay scallop season is an exciting opportunity for Floridians and
visitors"

Scallop season opens July 1
and is a big draw for Floridians until it ends in September. Scallops
are often on the bottom of seagrass beds or in places where the grass
meets the bottom.Scallops are hard to spot because their natural coloring allows them to camouflage themselves on the bottom among the tall grasses. Most of the time their shells are open to feed and breath, but as soon as they sense an intruder they slam their shells shut and hide. When threatened, the scallop can swim backwards or up by clapping its shell halves together and rapidly expelling water.

The most popular destinations for recreational scallopers are
Steinhatchee, Crystal River and Homosassa. This is because the Florida
bay scallop, a bivalve mollusk, grows and lives in the shallow (4 to 10
feet deep) seagrass beds that are common to these areas.

Harvesting is allowed from the west bank of the Mexico Beach Canal
in Bay County to the Pasco-Hernando county line near Aripeka. The bag
limit is 2 gallons of whole scallops in the shell, or 1 pint of scallop
meat per person per day. In addition, no more than 10 gallons of whole
scallops or 1/2 gallon of scallop meat may be possessed aboard any
vessel at any time.

You may harvest scallops only by hand or with a landing or dip net.
Scallopers must remain in the legal scalloping area while in possession
of scallops on the water, including the point where they return to land.

When brought to the boat, scallops should be immediately placed on
ice in a cooler for the trip to shore unless you decide to clean the
scallops while on the water. Scallops are quite sensitive to temperature
and will quickly die if they are not kept cold. Even if kept cold,
scallops will usually die shortly after being placed on ice, especially
if fresh water gets into their shells. Placing them on ice, however,
makes them easier to open, because the muscle holding the shells
together relaxes. A scallop, clam or oyster knife, or even a teaspoon,
can be used to open the shells and cut the white muscle free, discarding
the shells and unwanted soft parts.

Monday, June 15, 2015

The Ocala National Forest is a great place to enjoy Floridian nature. Located in central Florida between the
Ocklawaha and
St. Johns Rivers. The Forest is approximately 383,000 acres and is
the southernmost forest in the continental United States. The Ocala
National Forest is rich in water resources with more than 600 lakes,
rivers, and springs.

Water plays an important part in a variety of recreational opportunities
on the forest. There are huge springs, twisting streams and
lakes for fishing and water skiing.
Many of the scenic lakes were formed when limestone bedrock dissolved,
permitting the surface layer to slump and fill with water. Snorkelers
frequently find a thrilling underwater view of fish, swaying vegetation
and cavernous springs. No wonder the Ocala National Forest is one of the
most heavily used National Forests in the United States.

I saw this photo in the Ocala Star Banner. According to the article Richard Jones snapped the photo as he and he family were walking along the Ocklawaha River watching alligator. The family thinks the raccoon was starteld and jumped on the nearby alligator by accident. While both alligators and raccoons are abundant in the Ocala National Forest, we don't see them interacting this closely very often.

The Florida Alligator has an armored black, lizard-like body, with muscular
tails and short stocky legs. They are fast predators on both land and
water, able to run as fast as 20 mph for short distances. The massive
jaws of the alligator's open mouth reveals 70-80 white pointed teeth,
designed to grasp, hold and crush its prey! The alligator snout is broad
with the edge of the upper jaw overlapping the teeth of the lower jaw.
The alligators silvery eyes sit back on the top of the head, and they
have excellent vision, even at night. Alligators Eyes will shine red
when you shine a light on them at night Alligators have two sets of
eyelids. One set is similar to humans, while the second set of eyelids
is transparent, allowing the gator to see clearly underwater. Florida
Gators also have a keen sense of smell.